3 ms·

Is none an option?

• WalterSear 9y ago
  Not in Saudi Arabia.
  • nkoren 9y ago
    I once filled out "None" for my religion on a Saudi visa. It was accepted and I had no problem whatsoever on my visit there, even discussing my alleged atheism openly with curious taxi drivers etc. Only later did I discover that atheism is considered a form of terrorism there, and is a capital offence. Still probably less controversial than what a truer answer would have been.
    • jasonkostempski 9y ago
      Taxi drivers know what you put for religion on your visa?
      • nkoren 9y ago
        No, but every single one of them asked whether I was Muslim. Their responses to my answer ran the gamut. One, a conservative, was clearly perturbed by my answer and wanted to convert me, but lacked the English to do so. The best he could come up with was: "Muhammad Ali... strong! Muhammad Ali... Muslim!" Which I was happy to agree with, but just couldn't figure out how to make the next logical leap. Another, a liberal, told me that Saudi Arabia was unfortunately not a great place for non-Muslims, but that Dubai was amazing, everybody was treated equally there. As far as he was concerned, there was no difference between religions, and the only thing that mattered was whether you were a good person. Another pulled out a Black Sabbath tape that had been hidden under his seat, put it on, and started head-banging. Anyhow, on the street, religion wasn't a subject that anyone was particularly discrete about. Interestly, in professional environments (I was there to attend the Jeddah Economic Forum), it was never mentioned at all.